Travelling to as many interesting locations as we do, direct flights are often a luxury that we don’t get to experience. This means inevitably stopping over at one of the big hub cities such as Dubai, Istanbul, Muscat or Doha. So which cities do we like and which do we try to avoid? Note that this list is for stopover airports that have a lot of transit passengers. We could write about our favourite and least favourite airports in general but that would be a huge list!
1. Dubai
Simply put, Dubai needs to be on the list. With as many destinations as it offers, combined with the convenience of Dubai, we do like stopping over here. Dubai, in recent years, is feeling a lot more like a real city than the fake Middle Eastern Disneyland that it previously resembled, and honestly we think that Dubai gets a bad wrap and has a lot more to offer than people give it credit for. There is a great sense of comfort when you land in Dubai after spending a few weeks in a place like Afghanistan, Turkmenistan or Mauritania. Modern creature comforts are everywhere, they have Uber, internet is great and accommodation is generally fairly priced for a very reasonable standard. On top of that you can get pretty much any food you would like, which is oh so important when you are trying to unwind after a long tour. The airport also has great lounges (unless you get stuck at Terminal 2, which unfortunately we often do, but oh well) to refresh you after those long flights.
2. Doha
Before you read this part, know that we don’t work for Qatar Airways and unfortunately reap no benefits from sharing this, however we just cannot get enough of their stopover program. You can get a 5 star hotel for as little as $30 a night! Doha itself is easy to get around and has enough sites to last you a day. In addition, you can get great food in the city at restaurants or on the delivery apps straight to your hotel if you don’t feel like heading out, and ticks a lot of the same boxes as Dubai in terms of ease and comfort. If you are passing through Doha on a Qatar Airways ticket, we highly recommend using their stopover program for a cheap way to break up your trip and add a bit of luxury to your stopover for a low price!
3. Istanbul
This is another one that we simply have to like. Even though we think the airport is just way too big and prices in the airport are outrageously expensive for Turkey. For connections, Istanbul is unmatched and nowhere has better connections to our beloved Turkmenistan. The lounges in the airport are great as well if you have a long connection and aren’t leaving the airport. If you’re staying a few days, Istanbul is a great city to explore with amazing restaurants, bars and overall some incredible sightseeing for a good price. However, watch out for travel times, as that's probably the main hurdle in Istanbul - it just takes a long time to get anywhere!
4. Bangkok
Bangkok is a favourite of ours for many reasons. This airport is easy to navigate, has a ridiculous amount of airport lounges, and if you have to spend a few days then you get to enjoy some of the best food in the world! Getting to the centre of the city is easy enough using Grab and a cheap sim card. Bangkok is great for travellers coming from Australia to Europe or Central Asia, or vice-versa, or of course can be used as an excellent hub for other south east or east Asian countries.
5. Muscat
We love this city, we love Oman Air, but most importantly, we love the airport. This airport has what is probably one of the best lounges available to Priority Pass holders (if you know, you know). It’s hard to fault this airport. It has great food options, staff are really lovely and if you have to stay longer and spend a few days in Muscat, we are sure you’ll like it too!
So, after saying so many nice things, which airports do we try to avoid when travelling?
1. Cairo
Though necessary for some destinations, we try and avoid going through Cairo when we can. Simply put, the combination of Egyptian airport chaos and having to pay for an e-visa, not to mention another two stamps in your passport (a serious consideration for a lot of regular travellers), is enough for us to reroute through a different airport if we can. We know many people would have experienced the hassle of Cairo before, and while we still think it’s a cool city worth exploring, we don’t think it’s a chill place for a stopover.
2. Frankfurt
Maybe we just don’t really like Lufthansa? But Frankfurt airport we find really uninspiring. If you have to spend a day or two in Frankfurt, we also don’t think you’ll be overly stimulated. The airport itself has some OK food options, but nothing special. The only upside is you can get a stein of beer for about 11 EUR which is not bad for an airport. In general, while Germany runs fairly efficiently, their airports kind of suck and security checks always take ages!
3. Paris
In our experience, whether you speak French or not, people working at Charles des Gaul Airport are just kind of rude. We understand that airports are chaotic places, but screaming at people in French when they don’t speak it doesn’t make things go smoother. Transferring between terminals is not a fun experience either, especially if you are going between terminals 3 and 2. Not many lounge options and pretty limited food options (especially in the budget terminal) makes for a fairly miserable experience if you are just stuck around the airport. If you have a few days Paris can be a great stop, however it can get pricey quickly and you’ll have to deal with big crowds of people for tourist sites year-round, which means you’ll need to book things far in advance. Overall, not a very inspiring option for a layover.
There are definitely good and bad things about stopping in any city, however there are certainly some cities that are a much more pleasant experience than others. We have included these cities as they are the most common ones for people travelling to many Saiga Tours' destinations. We didn't even touch on airports in North America or Australia for which we also have favourites and places we despise.
Where is your favourite place to stopover?
Let us know!
Or better yet,
book a tour with us
and try one of these stopover cities out for yourself!
